Box Hill North win big as the Tigers turn tides with triumph

Billy Bolch

The first match of the round saw Albert Park take on North Brunswick in what possibly could’ve been a finals preview. Both teams started slow out of the gates with a combined 3 goals kicked for the quarter. When the first siren sounded, the Bulls held a narrow lead of 7 points. The foot was definitely on the accelerator in the second, with both teams doubling their score.

The third quarter is usually the point in a match that the Bulls stampede away with the win, but full credit to the Falcons who kept the quarter even, only allowing 3 goals from the Bulls whilst managing to kick 3 of their own. After failing to escape the talons of the Falcons in the third, the Bulls were able to find their way out in the fourth quarter and run away with the game, kicking 2 unanswered goals and leaving the home of the Falcons with a crucial 34-point victory.

Jack Lee had 2 goals for the Falcons. Matt Pihkanen, Joshua Beets and Brett Tottenham also featured in the goal kickers for the Falcons. For the Bulls, Jake Horwood and Andrew Ramzy kicked 3 goals each, individual goal-kickers included Zac Dicianni, Tai Cameron Sardone and Luke Russell. In the best for the Falcons were Alistair Lupo, Jack Amies and Paul Hutchins. In the best for the Bulls were Spencer Zahra, Simon Woodward and Marcus Watt.

The Falcons will now face Box Hill North in another tough matchup and potentially another finals preview. The Bulls will make the trip down to North Dandenong to take on the Tigers.

The second match of the round saw St Johns take on Masala where the winner would be at a major advantage when it comes to the division’s ladder. The Tigers who often get off to a slow start, managed to get the upper hand over their rivals early with a 3-goal to 1 first quarter, led by key defender turned key forward Jake Dunkley, resulting in a 14-point Tiger lead as the quarter time siren sounded. The second quarter saw the JOCs start their engines, however with 3 goals, their vehicle wasn’t quick enough to capture an escaping Tigers vehicle that was able to put 4 goals onto the board and extend their lead out to 24 points as both teams went to their halftime huddle.

The third quarter saw the JOCs fight their way back into the game and even saw them win the quarter as they were able to kick 3 goals whilst only allowing 2 goals from the Tigers to reduce the Tigers lead all the way down to 8 points. The stakes were huge with a win going to greatly benefit both sides’ seasons. The fourth quarter was riddled with contests, however, the Tigers were able to dig deep and play ‘strong and bold’ as they were able to keep enough energy in the tank to overrun the JOCs with a 4-goal to 0 quarter to get an important win away from home over their crosstown rivals. This win is crucial for the Tigers as it now puts them 1 win ahead of 5th (St Johns) and 1 win behind 3rd (Albert Park).

Goal kickers for the JOCs included Liam Salisbury, Daniel Cattolico, Cameron Cato, Kailum Newland, Michael Horton, Nicholas Terrill and Guy Chuol. Jake Dunkley found his way up forward for the Tigers and capitalised on the opportunity with 5 majors. Brandon Kelly (3) and Decarne brothers Matt and Luke (2 goals each) were the other multiple-goal kickers for the Tigers. In the best for the JOCs were Nicholas Terrill, Matthew Bennett and Jed Dexter. In the best for the Tigers were Harkireth Calais, Jake Dunkley and Karan Singh.

The JOCs will go on to face the Sharks, looking to get back on the winner’s list. The Tigers, on the other hand, will like to continue this winning feeling as they face division leaders North Brunswick.

The final match of the round saw Eley Park take on Box Hill North in what was set to be a fairly unpredictable contest. The Demons got the immediate jump over the Sharks in the first quarter as they were able to put 15 scoring shots on the board whilst only allowing 2 scoring shots from the Sharks. As the quarter-time siren sounded, it was the Demons that held a 38-point lead over the Sharks. The second quarter saw the Demons once again continue the dominance over the Sharks as the Demons were able to add on another 4 goals whilst keeping the Sharks goalless, extending the lead out to 63 points at halftime.

The Demons then took a leaf out of the Bulls’ booklet as they put together a big third quarter. The Demons were able to pile on 7 goals in the quarter, however, the Sharks had a big quarter of their own with 4 goals. After their major quarter, the Demons were able to extend their lead to 84 points as both teams went into their final huddles of the game. In the final quarter, the Demons were able to continue their goal-kicking ways with 6 majors. The Sharks also managed to find the goals with 3 goals of their own. The final half of the Demons created too much of an impact as they were able to run out winners by 107 points, getting a major win at the right time of the season.

Up forward for the Sharks, multiple goal kickers included Tom Johnston (2) and Joel Kennedy (2). Kyle Hocking was the leading goal scorer on the day with 6 majors for the Demons. Other multiple-goal kickers included David Edwards (3), Marcus Lorkin (3), Michael Trkujia (2), Alexander Williams (2) and Blake Williams (2). In the best for the Sharks were Alex Penkethman, Thomas Cherny and Joel Kennedy. In the best for the Demons were Kyle Hocking, Jonathan Tommasoni and Samuel Roberts.

Eley Park will look to get their second win in three weeks as they take on the JOCS, while the Demons will host Albert Park.